Tie-plate.



No. s4e,2a1.- PATBNTED MAR-5, 1907.

B. H. BELL,

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 8. 1906. Q

7 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

EDWIN H. BELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR TO' THE RAILROAD SUP- PLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TIE-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed June 8,1906. an No. 320,842.

ment in Tie-Plates; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general to railroadtrack fastenings, and more particularly to tie-plates. e

It is customary to interpose metallic plates between railroad-rails and the supportingties in order to prevent the Wearing away of the ties by the rails and in order to more firmly secure the rails to the ties, and thereby prevent both longitudinal creeping and lateral spreading of the rails with respect to the ties.

It is desirable that tie-plates should have ribs or flanges on their under surfaces to prevent movement of, the plates upon the ties and should also have shoulders on their upper surfaces to prevent spreading of the rails.

In order that tie-plates may be as light as possible and at the same time possess the requisite strength, they may be advantageously provided with longltudinal grooves in their upper surfaces. 4

The primary object of m invention is to provide a tie-plate which w en applied to a tie will not creep thereon, which will prevent spreading of the rails, and which will possess the requisite structural strength wlth a minimum weight.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tie-plate which will be simple 1n construction, inexpensive in manufacture, and eflicient in use.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in several convenient and practical forms, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2, an end clevational view of a modification and Figs. 3, 4, and 5, views similar to Fig. 2, showing other forms of the invention.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawing. Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, reference character A designates a tie-plate, preferably formed of rolled steel. B B indicate parallel flanges extending longitudinally beneath the under surface of the plate and located adjacent the edges thereof. Intermediate of the flanges B are flan es 6 b of less depth than the flanges B. l of the flanges are wedge-shaped, so as to facilitate their being driven into the grain of the wood of the tie. The upper surface of the plate is provided with a series of parallel grooves D, preferably arranged above the flanges B and b. The plate may, if desired, be provided with side flanges a a.

In order that the rail may be prevented from spreading, the upper surface of the plate is provided with a broken shoulder C, the sections of which may be conveniently arranged intermediate of the grooves D.

The outer edge of the base of the rail is adapted to engage the shoulders, and thereby be prevented from moving relatively to the plate and also prevented from throat-cutting the spike.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a modified form of tie-plate embodying my invention in which the sections of the shoulder are arranged above the grooves and not intermediate of the grooves. In this figure the tieplate is the same as that illustrated in Fig. 1, except that the sections of the shoulder G which revent the spreading of the rail, are locate above the grooves D.

If desired, in lieu of providing a broken shoulder, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,the shoulder may extend continuously across the upper surface of the tie, as is shown in Fig. 3. In this figure the tie-plate is the same as that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, exce t that the shoulder O is continuous and not f drmed in a series of sections.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of my invention, in which figure A designates the late, and .B and b the depending flanges. C esignates the broken shoulder for preventin the spreading of the rail, which is formed in sections located out of alinement with the depending flanges. The parallel grooves in the upper surface of the plate which extend between the sections of the shoulder-are designated by reference character D A tie-plate embodying my invention may be securely fastened to a tie by driving the depending flanges into the grain of the wood and will positively prevent the spreading of the rail, owing to the shoulder on the upper surface thereof. By forming the parallel grooves in the upper surface of the plate it is rendered lighter in weight, thereby rendering the plate cheaper and more economical in construction.

It will be observed that the shoulder also serves to prevent the base of the rail throatcutting the head of the spike, inasmuch as the hole for the spike is formed through a section of the shoulder.

The compression of the fibers of the tie when the plate is seated, owing to the arched construction of the flanges of the plate, makes a stronger seat for the plate and also prevents the decay of the tie.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an improved tie-plate which, though simple and inexpensive in construction, is strong and efficient in use.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A tie-plate having parallel flanges on its under surface extending longitudinally with respect to and adapted to be embedded in a tie, parallel grooves in' its upper surface vertically alining with said flanges, and having a broken transverse shoulder on its up er surface the sections of which are locate inter mediate of said grooves.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN H. BELL. 

